The Nowhere Box - Hardcover

Zuppardi, Sam

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763663670 ISBN 13: 9780763663674

Publisher: Candlewick, 2013

Synopsis

Could George’s escape from his pesky brothers be a bit too successful? An ode to imagination —and annoying but indispensable siblings.

George’s little brothers wreck his toys and his games and trail after him wherever he goes. Try as he might, there’s just no hiding from them. George has had enough! So he commandeers an empty washing machine box and goes to the one place his brothers can’t follow: Nowhere. Nowhere is amazing! It’s magnificent! It’s also, however, free of pirates and dragons and . . . well, anyone at all. From the talented Sam Zuppardi comes an all-too-relatable story of an older brother who knows when he needs his space — and when he needs his siblings — played out in charmingly offbeat illustrations.

About this title

About the Author

Sam Zuppardi says he used to draw cartoons at school when he was supposed to be doing work. Among other things, he has worked in a book warehouse, a bookstore, and a toy store, and is currently working with children. The Nowhere Box is his first picture book. He lives in England.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 2-George has a little brother and an "even littler brother" and the tension with his siblings-which starts on the endpapers-is mounting. One of the little guys inadvertently knocks down his castle while the other derails his train. "George had had enough," and readers can see his frustration etched in a penciled scribble above his grimaced teeth while he tries to hide from their omnipresence. As they chase him in pursuit of play, they ask where he's going and he cries out, "Nowhere! And you can't follow me!" The artwork is sophisticated in its two-dimensional, contoured comic style as well as in the materials it utilizes. Speech bubbles made with notebook paper and torn cardboard pieces create painted collages full of movement and texture. Scratchy, heavy pencil lines balanced with bold and thin acrylic paint create richly expressive characters. When George finds the washing-machine box, he creates a getaway machine and travels to "Nowhere." He expresses his zeal with a flood of adjectives, yet despite his initial glee, he remembers the home button he drew on the dashboard. The discovery of the need for playing together balanced with the need to be alone and the role of the imagination in navigating these important social poles speaks to kids of a variety of ages. Pair this story with Matthew Cordell's Another Brother (Feiwel & Friends, 2012).-Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York Cityα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

George is looking for anywhere he can escape his two little brothers, who follow him all over the house. Luckily, the delivery of a new washing machine provides the perfect vehicle for hiding from siblings: a giant cardboard box. In a flash, industrious George turns the box into a portal to another world, called Nowhere, where brothers can’t follow. Though Nowhere starts as vast blank space, once George overturns his box, out tumble beautifully animated, page-filling illustrations made out of painted and torn cardboard. Nowhere, it turns out, is pretty awesome. George rides a roller coaster, flies in a rocket ship, and sets out on an ocean voyage, his ecstatic grin growing ever bigger with each new adventure. But his brothers wonder where he’s gone, and George, frankly, is starting to feel lonesome. So he takes his box back home to share his imaginative games with his brothers. There’s no shortage of picture books about this very subject, but Zuppardi’s expressive and playful illustrations are a delight to behold. Preschool-Grade 2. --Sarah Hunter

Edition details

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0763663670
• ISBN 13: 9780763663674
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Zuppardi Sam
• Number of pages: 40